novelraw Chapter 208 Regaining Confidence! Knicks' Veterans Dominate the Game
Chapter 208 Regaining Confidence! Knicks' Veterans Dominate the Game
Chapter 208 Regaining Confidence! The Knicks' Veteran Duo Dominate the Game!
111: 92!
The final score difference in this game was only 19 points.
This is because the Knicks had a really good shooting night, and their starters played until there were only 5 minutes left on the court before Van Gundy substituted them for a rest.
With the starters playing as substitutes, they did manage to close the gap by more than ten points in half a quarter, but clearly, facing a deficit of more than 30 points, this pace of closing the gap was simply not enough.
Throughout the game, Lin Tian racked up a perfect stat line of 45 points, 13 assists, 7 rebounds, 4 steals and 1 block. Although he committed 6 turnovers due to his reckless play, these turnovers were insignificant compared to his contributions!
Besides Lin Tian's 45 points, Schmitz scored 18 points and 14 rebounds, completely dominating his matchup against Ewing. Barkley had 12 points and 8 rebounds, essentially taking a backseat to help Schmitz find his rhythm. Miller added 15 points with 4 three-pointers, and Christie contributed 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists.
The Pacers once again played their signature team basketball!
At the post-game press conference, Bird didn't bring Lin Tian, who had the best performance that night, but instead brought Schmitz, who almost never appears at press conferences!
"Rick, you played really well tonight. Can you tell me how you feel? What would you most like to say to someone right now?"
"I just played aggressively, and honestly, before tonight's game, I couldn't believe I could play this well! I have to thank Lin, Larry, and Charles!"
"They kept encouraging me, cheering me on, telling me that Patrick wasn't scary and that I didn't need to be afraid of him. They even said Patrick was just a paper tiger and that I could easily crush him! Then they kept giving me opportunities, creating and creating space for me. Without them, I couldn't have played at the level I did tonight!"
"As it turns out, they were right! I do have the ability to do some things, and I will continue to do so."
"You think Patrick Ewing is easy to beat? Are you confident you can continue to dominate him in the next match?"
"I'm confident! I'm not afraid of him at all. Let him come at me all he wants. No matter how he hits me, no matter how he tries to target me, I'm not afraid of him. I'll keep beating him to a pulp!"
"Then Rick, say something to Patrick, tell him what you're thinking now."
"I'm not Spanish, nor am I Portuguese, Italian, or Belgian. I'm Dutch, and I was born in Eindhoven!" Schmitz exuded a powerful aura and unwavering confidence as he said this, looking at the reporters and declaring, "Let Patrick remember this: he'll be utterly dominated by a Dutchman for an entire series!"
……
Five minutes later, Schmitz, who had just been so confident and invincible, sat in the locker room with a bitter face and looked at Lin Tian, saying, "Lin, why did you make me say those things? What if they hold a grudge against me and retaliate in the next game?"
"With me here, why are you afraid of retaliation?" Lin Tian rolled his eyes and said, "Are you insulting me?"
"But I really don't think I'm on the same level as Patrick. I really think I just got lucky today!" Schmitz had completely lost the air of wanting to tell the world how great Eindhoven was. He was utterly timid now.
"Alright, alright, here's the deal: I'll help you defend in the next game! And Doug will help you too!" Lin Tian patted Schmitz on the shoulder and said, "With the two of us helping you defend, we can take down Patrick together, right? You can rest assured now."
"That's more like it!" Schmitz finally smiled, turned around and sat down in his chair, then turned back less than two seconds later and said, "Lin, how about we get Doug to help me with defense? You shouldn't come, your mouth is too sharp, I'm afraid Patrick will get angry."
"If he gets angry, I'm in big trouble!"
"Are you ever going to stop?" Lin Tian was exasperated with this cowardly guy. "You're like this with Patrick, what will you do when you face Shaq or Malone in the Finals? Just fake an injury and not play?"
"O'Neal? Malone?" Schmitz said with a pained expression, "Perhaps we should put Charles against them?"
"Fuck you! I'm talking to you my ass." Barkley cursed, then suddenly threw a bottle at him from the other side, saying, "Eat this stuff, and I guarantee you'll be rock hard! You won't be afraid of Patrick anymore!"
"What is this?" Schmitz asked curiously, looking at the small medicine bottle in his hand.
"A mysterious little pill, something that makes Charles act like a man every night." Lin Tian glanced at the bottle—it was either some kind of Indian herbal oil or Australian kangaroo essence—and looked at Barkley, saying, "Charles, do you need this to survive now?"
"That was a gift from my friend!"
"You've always carried it with you because it was a gift from a friend?"
"It was just delivered tonight!"
"What friend? Male or female? What's their name? What do they do for a living? Why does he think you need this? Have you asked him for help?" Lin Tian fired off a barrage of questions, giving Barkley no time to think.
"Good friend, of course he's a guy, his name is Jay... FUXX! Lin, why am I answering you like this? I'm doing this to help Rick!" Barkley, who had already changed his clothes, came over and snatched his treasure away again, saying, "Anyway, if you need it, just come to me."
"If you let Rick use this, Patrick will definitely not dare to continue attacking him from behind," Miller said after glancing at the medicine bottle. "He might even never dare to speak to Rick again for the rest of his life."
"What the hell is this?" Schmitz looked at the messy printing on the medicine bottle, and he was quite certain that it was a language he didn't understand at all.
"Maybe it's the only thing that can make Charles act like a man." Lin Tian shrugged.
He's not as bad as Miller. If Schmitz eats this thing, Ewing might not dare to back down him, but in this league, probably no one will dare to back down him in the future.
That's terrifying! Who could stand this?
……
On the Knicks' bus to their hotel, everyone on the team remained silent; tonight's loss was simply too painful for them.
Or rather, it was just too painful for Ewing!
Because tonight, he couldn't play against Schmitz, Ben Wallace, or Davis. He even felt powerless in the two possessions when Christie came out to cover for him!
Ewing kept touching his wrist, trying to rekindle the tender feeling he had shared with his old partner and first love.
He felt terrible tonight. In terms of physical condition and strength, he had almost recovered. He could sit down on Schmitz with ease under the basket!
But his touch was really stiff, and his shooting motion was very disjointed!
Ewing didn't know if it was a psychological or health issue, but he knew that if he didn't fix his poor shooting performance, the Knicks had no chance in this series!
He must rediscover his own sense of self!
"Jeff, get me some Coleman," Ewing called out to Van Gundy, mentioning the team's head trainer. "I want to practice shooting with him tonight. I need to get back into form! Otherwise, we're hopeless."
"Okay, I'm going to stay up late tonight to watch game footage, we can do it together!" Van Gundy, known for his diligence, hard work, and workaholic nature, nodded. During the playoffs, he basically only slept about 4 hours a night, spending the rest of his time working and thinking like crazy.
Given his workload, someone would say he's more blessed than fortune itself.
That night, Ewing and his trainer practiced until 2 a.m. before going home to rest, while Van Gundy stayed in the arena to watch the game video and do analysis.
The next morning at 9 a.m., Ewing arrived at the training facility an hour earlier than scheduled, wanting to continue practicing his shooting and regain his touch. But as soon as he entered, he saw Van Gundy still in the same position as when he left, constantly writing and drawing in his notebook.
"Jeff, you didn't stay out all night, did you?" Ewing frowned, beginning to worry that Van Gundy might have suddenly died.
"Of course not, I'm not a monster." Van Gundy casually picked up the coffee next to him, took a sip, and said, "I slept here for a while. You can practice. I still have the video of you practicing shooting last night. I also took notes. There are some things I think you need to improve. Coleman will come later and you two can watch it together. I hope it will help you."
"Thanks, Jeff! I won't let you down in the next game!"
……
In the next game, Ewing ultimately disappointed Van Gundy, or rather, he disappointed the entire nation of New York.
His injury spanned almost the entire season. When he fell at the beginning of the season, the broken wrist bone was almost about to pierce through his skin and come out of his body! For an ordinary person, this kind of injury would mean at least two years of not being able to play basketball. But Ewing still managed to return and play a few games in the middle and later part of the season, and then he got injured again and returned again.
His spirit was already terrifying, but Yu himself was clearly not satisfied!
He knows better than anyone that he's nearing the end of his career, and the window of opportunity and time left for him to win a championship are running out. For him now, every year is the best year to come! He'll only get worse, not better!
Some things are simply irreversible!
Therefore, Ewing must fight with all his might!
You have to push yourself to the limit!
But some things cannot be achieved simply by working hard and putting in the effort.
Or rather, in this league, hard work? It's never been worth mentioning!
More than 400 regular players, and at least a thousand players on the periphery and fringes of the league, are all working hard and giving it their all!
Talent and ability are the deciding factors.
Effort? That's just the foundation. In the decades-long history of the league, has anyone ever achieved a comeback solely through hard work?
Most people are exceptionally gifted geniuses who, through hard work, achieve great things!
In Game 2 of the series, Ewing still couldn't find his rhythm. He only made 2 of 10 shots outside the paint, and even inside the paint, he only made 3 of 6.
It was another game where Ewing only made 5 of 16 field goals and 6 of 14 free throws. Although Ewing scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds tonight, and although he fouled out Schmitz, everyone could see that the winner of today's matchup was still Schmitz.
因为施密茨18投10中拿下22分12个篮板，因为施密茨还送出了3个助攻和2个盖帽，还因为施密茨曾经一个大帽将尤因的扣篮直接扇飞到了半场。
Of course, more importantly, the Pacers won the game!
104: 96!
That night, the Pacers only won by 8 points because Houston had a breakout night, completely dominating Miller, shooting 13-for-19 from the field, 4-for-5 from three-point range, and a perfect 4-for-3 from the free-throw line, scoring 34 points! Larry Johnson also scored 21 points!
While their two leading scorers were both on fire and playing their best career games, their team's star player, Ewing, was completely outplayed by a Dutchman!
This is undoubtedly a huge blow to the entire Knicks team! Because everyone can see that if Ewing had played even a little bit normally, or even slightly below normal, tonight, the Knicks might have been able to steal a win on the road.
However, Ewing just couldn't do it. He just couldn't make his shots, and he kept missing them. Even though he increased his drives to the basket and forced Schmitz off the court, as a leader, he clearly didn't do enough.
That night, the truly qualified leader was Lin Tian!
He not only scored 33 points and 12 assists throughout the game, but also scored 13 points and 3 assists in the fourth quarter! In the last 5 minutes of the fourth quarter, Lin Tian took over Miller's job and started to go one-on-one with Houston!
After Lin Tian took over the defense against Houston, the New York "mid-range king" only made one of his three shots in a full five minutes, scoring just two points!
It was Lin Tian's perfect defense against Houston that caused the Knicks' offense to stall in the final moments!
That night, Lin Tian dominated the game on both offense and defense, leading his team to victory and a 2-0 lead!
Besides the high-level performances of Lin Tian and Schmitz, Barkley continued to play a supporting role tonight, scoring only 13 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. Miller, on the other hand, was in poor form, shooting 4 for 13 and getting blown out by Houston, suffering a significant loss.
Fortunately, Dumars stepped up off the bench, hitting three three-pointers and scoring 13 points in the game. In addition, Ainge, who played only 5 minutes, efficiently hit two three-pointers. The two veterans of Indiana demonstrated their role at the most critical moment!
With everyone working together, the Pacers successfully defended their home court. They will take a 2-0 lead and head to Madison Square Garden in New York, where they will face two truly fierce battles!
New Yorkers will not allow anyone to run rampant on their turf, nor will they allow anyone to easily take victory from New York!
In the Knicks' training facility's medical room, the Knicks' chief team doctor, Nick, firmly shook his head and said, "Impossible, Patrick, I can't agree with your idea!"
"Nick! We're best friends, you have to help me!" Ewing leaned against the door of the medical room, his voice firm. "If we lose this game, we're finished! No team can win a series after being down 0-3!"
"This is our last chance!"
"I was a team doctor in New York for 13 years, and the lead team doctor for 6 years. If I remember correctly, we both joined the team in the same year, right, Patrick? You've always trusted me. A big part of the reason I became the lead team doctor is because of your trust in me."
"I sincerely thank you, but there are some things I cannot agree to! Because I am a doctor, I have my own principles and bottom line!"
"Nick! This is my last chance. I'll be 36 in three months. I don't even know if I'll still be able to play next year. I just want to give it my all one last time. Can you help me?"
"Patrick, I understand basketball. I've been watching from the sidelines for 13 years. I understand basketball very well. I know the significance of this series, and I know its significance for your career, but at the same time, I know even more about its significance for your entire life!"
"You might spend the rest of your life with only one hand. Your right hand might never be able to exert any strength again—you won't be able to hold a knife and fork, a coffee cup, or even squeeze your favorite big balloon! Think it through; some things aren't worth it!"
"It's worth it!" Ewing looked at Nick and said, "You've watched basketball for 13 years, but you still don't understand it, Nick! Sometimes, basketball isn't just about winning and losing. There's no right or wrong, no good or bad. We can't just do the right and easy things! We also have to do some things, some things..."
"Do something that I will never regret and will be proud of 30 years from now when I look back on my life!"
Nick looked at Ewing's incredibly serious eyes and expression, opened his mouth, and finally nodded, saying, "If you feel uncomfortable at all, just tell me! I'll check your wrist every time there's a timeout, and if anything happens, I'll have Jeff substitute you, understand?"
"Don't worry, Nick, thank you!"
……
In the break before Game 3 of the second round of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the league finally began announcing the regular season awards.
Well... most of it has nothing to do with the Pacers.
If we had to pick, Ben Wallace was ranked 8th in Most Improved Player, Dumars was ranked 6th in Sixth Man of the Year voting, and Croshere, who played half a season with the Pacers, also got 1 point in Rookie of the Year voting!
That's the whole story of the Pacers' relationship with these awards—they didn't get any! And honestly, no one on their team is even remotely related to those awards.
But in the two awards that followed, the Pacers, or rather Larry Bird, emerged as the biggest winners!
He created a history that was unprecedented!
He became the first person in NBA history to win both General Manager of the Year and Coach of the Year in the same season!
The Pacers are currently third in the Eastern Conference and sixth in the league, with 56 wins, a full 17 games better than when Larry Brown was coaching them last year! This is the biggest improvement in the entire league! The crazy offensive system that Bird built for the Pacers this season has also been noticed by the entire league.
He quickly integrated a completely new team, and what's even more amazing is that this team, full of veterans, with all sorts of troublemakers and former leaders from various teams, had almost no problems or conflicts under Miller's management.
Well, almost none. The only problem in the locker room actually became a major reason why Bird won the Best General Manager award!
While there is some controversy surrounding Bird winning Coach of the Year, many would argue that Sloan, Jackson, Karl, Harris, and others are more deserving, and each would provide their own reasons and arguments.
In the selection of the best general manager, Bird truly stands out from the crowd; no one can compare to him!
First, they quickly cleared a lot of salary cap space during the offseason, then signed Lin Tian to the biggest contract in history. Next, they used Lin Tian, Miller, and championship as gimmicks to attract talented players such as Barkley, Dumars, and Ben Wallace, and quickly assembled a brand new team!
Midway through the season, when Jalen Rose showed signs of rebellion and tried to cause trouble within the team, Bird acted swiftly, first suppressing the negative news of the infighting, and then trading him away from the team in a flash! Everything for the Pacers quickly returned to normal!
Although Christie, who was acquired in the trade, has never been an All-Star and is not a famous star, his integration with the Pacers was incredibly fast. The two were a perfect match, and they completed their integration almost in the blink of an eye, becoming an indispensable member of the team!
Jalen Rose, who was traded away from the team, quickly revealed his true colors after arriving at the Raptors.
Before joining the Raptors, Rose averaged 19.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game, with shooting percentages of 47%, 38%, and 81%! His All-Star selection was well-deserved, and he also dominated the Most Improved Player award for most of the season.
But after he joined the Raptors and became the team's star player, his performance plummeted, with his average stats dropping to 13.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game.
Although his rebounds and assists increased, his scoring dropped significantly, and his field goal percentages fell to 38%, 31%, and 77% respectively! His turnovers also increased from 2.3 to 4.8! If he hadn't only played half a season with the Raptors, he probably would have even taken Lin Tian's title as the king of turnovers!
Not only that, Rose also lost the Most Improved Player award at the end of the season, which was ultimately taken by Alan Henderson of the Hawks.
The Raptors cried foul, but could only watch helplessly as the Pacers sold them overpriced players and gave up several draft picks for nothing.
I truly regret what I did!
But the Raptors' regret only further proves Bird's top-notch eye for talent and his ability to sell players at a premium – that's impressive!
With his ability to stir up trouble during the offseason and throughout the season, Bird easily won the Best General Manager award this season with almost unanimous votes!
In addition, Duncan was unanimously voted Rookie of the Year and selected to the All-Rookie Team, while the Sixth Man of the Year award went to former number one draft pick Danny Manning, now the Phoenix Suns' sixth man.
The Best Defensive Player and Best Defensive Team awards, as well as the most important awards of the year, MVP and All-NBA Team, have not yet been announced. They will likely be announced after the second round of matches, or near the end of the second round.
Surprisingly, the first wave of awards released this year did not generate much reaction or discussion. After all, neither Manning nor Henderson are the league's most popular stars, so whether they win or not will not cause much discussion or controversy.
After reviewing the results, it was actually Bird's Coach of the Year award that sparked a lot of controversy, with fans of various teams feeling that their head coaches were more deserving of the award!
But regardless of their opinions, Bird received the award, and he did indeed achieve something unprecedented!
Next, we'll see if Bird can lead his team to victory and achieve a Grand Slam in a single year!
……
One day later, at Madison Square Garden, known as the Mecca of basketball in the United States, the third game of the second round of the Eastern Conference continued!
Back on home turf, the Knicks will absolutely give it their all tonight, using every means to create difficulties and trouble for the Pacers. They will not allow a 3-0 lead to occur!
This night was actually a do-or-die game for the Knicks!
If they lose, they can book their plane tickets in advance and go on vacation.
If they win, the suspense in this series will remain!
New York fans will always have faith in their team; they simply love watching basketball!
Therefore, when the Knicks players walked into the arena, a deafening roar of cheers and shouts erupted as fans eagerly began to cheer on their team!
Meanwhile, the Pacers naturally received the most meticulous care from the Madison Square Garden fans, with each player being greeted and welcomed by the fans!
Sitting in his designated seat, Spike Lee, the renowned director who attends almost every game, started yelling at Lin Tian the moment he saw him.
"What's up, Spike? If I remember correctly, you still owe me a movie!" Lin Tian, having nothing else to do, simply walked over to Spike and started chatting with him.
"If you join the Knicks, I'll give you a whole series, not just one movie!" Spike grinned at Lin Tian, clearly not expecting this guy to be so shameless. You don't even want to join our team, and you still want to get my movies for free?
"But Magic Johnson and the others said that if I go to the Lakers, they'll prepare a dedicated Star Wars spin-off series for me, an A-list production, a trilogy, and even have Liam and the others playing supporting roles! Is your series as good as Star Wars?"
"What a load of crap!" Spike glared at Lin Tian with annoyance. He was now certain that this kid was here to cause trouble, and he didn't want to say another word to Lin Tian.
Fortunately, Ewing came over at that moment, and Spike immediately reached out and patted Ewing on the shoulder, saying, "How were you feeling tonight, Patrick? You weren't playing very well in the first two games!"
"No problem!" Ewing patted his chest confidently. "Tonight I'm going all out! I'll give them a good beating! The first two games were just because I had just returned from injury and hadn't found my rhythm yet. Tonight, you'll see the most valiant super monster wreak havoc under their basket!"
"I'm really looking forward to it!" Spike said, and was about to turn around and say another word to Lin Tian when he found that Lin Tian had already turned around and walked away.
FUXX! How rude!
Spike muttered something and continued watching the players warm up, while Lin Tian walked straight up to Bird and gestured for everyone to come to his side.
"Patrick is acting strange tonight! He's incredibly confident, as if he's completely shaken off his previous poor form. And when he shook hands with Spike and pounded his chest, he used his right hand! In the previous two games, he did those things with his left hand!"
"Lin, what do you want to say?" Schmitz's face fell first. If Ewing got into form, he would be the first to suffer!
"I'm telling you, tonight's game will definitely be more difficult than we imagine. Everyone must be fully focused from the very beginning and fight the Knicks head-on. There can be no slackening or relaxation! 3-0! Tonight, I want 3-0! I won't give them any hope or chance. Tonight, I'm going to make them despair!"
"Let them despair!" Barkley raised his arm in enthusiastic support.
"Very well, since Lin has said so, I also need to rearrange my tactics." Bird clapped his hands and said, "Change the strategy. We won't attack the Patrick and Rick matchup from the start anymore. Lin, you go first! Use your penetration and passing to test the Knicks' firepower and form!"
"The rest of you, get moving! Use the same strategy we used best in the first round and the regular season! Got it?"
"clear!"
This statement came from the Knicks on the other side of the court. Ewing had just finished his final pep talk with his teammates. Clearly, the Knicks were full of confidence and had plenty of assurance that they would finish the game and take the victory!
Because everyone saw how different Ewing was tonight!
Not only was he full of confidence, but his shooting accuracy was also much better during warm-up!
At this moment, the only person on the entire Knicks team, and indeed the entire Madison Square Garden, was the chief team doctor, Nick, who looked worried and hesitated to speak.
"That's some serious spirit," Barkley scoffed, looking at the Knicks players opposite him. "Let's crush their morale!"
"Smash them! Let's go, get on the court!" Lin Tian walked past Barkley, leading the Pacers' starting five back onto the court!
The Knicks finally changed their starting lineup tonight! Ewing, Oakley, Jason, and Houston remained the same, the only change being that Ward, who couldn't stop Lin Tian at all in the previous two games, was moved to the bench, and sixth man Starks was moved into the starting lineup!
Starks was Ewing's most important teammate and one of the best defenders of Jordan in the league. His playing style was similar to that of Crawford and Nick Young in the 21st century. He was good at chaotic battles, good at scoring, and liked to take all kinds of difficult shots.
When he's in good form, he can crush any opponent and lead his team to victory. For example, in Game 6 of the 1994 Finals, he scored 27 points and almost led his team to the championship!
But when he was in a bad state, he could team up with his opponents to beat his teammates to the ground, becoming a top-notch mole in the league. For example, in Game 3 of the 1994 NBA Finals, he made 2 of 18 field goals and 0 of 11 three-pointers, missing 16 shots in the entire game, and personally sent Hakeem Olajuwon to the altar!
Compared to his younger days, Starks' defensive ability has declined significantly, and he is no longer as aggressive on offense. He has accepted his role as a role player and is content to play the sixth man for the team.
But when the team needs someone to score, he will still step up without hesitation to help the team out of trouble!
For example, tonight, when Ward, whose selling points are defense and composure, was completely unable to help the team, Van Gundy decided to inject some extra energy into the team's starting lineup!
Starks is the perfect fit! Starting him means Van Gundy is going to make the most of the opening tip-off! He wants the team to have the upper hand from the start and dominate the Pacers!
As both teams' players entered the court, amidst the frenzied shouts of the fans, the referee, as usual, threatened both teams to calm down before finally tossing the basketball into the air.
"Snapped!"
This time, it was Ewing who secured the first offensive possession for the team! After losing the jump ball to Schmitz twice in a row, he finally won!
Starks grabbed the basketball and quickly advanced towards the frontcourt while observing his teammates' movements.
Or rather, he just kept staring at Oakley.
After seeing Oakley rush to the basket and start battling Barkley, this guy dribbled laterally and took a step to create distance between himself and Lin Tian, then pulled up and shot a three-pointer!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp snap, Starks opened the scoring for the Knicks in the most Starks-esque way!
"He really just threw it like that?" Lin Tian licked his lips. He really didn't expect Starks to throw the ball like that. Didn't he see Ewing had just run to the free throw line? Didn't he give his boss any face at all?
But it was just from that one shot that Lin Tian realized why Starks was able to shoot 18-2 in Game 7 of the Finals back then. This guy really had a big heart and was fearless! This was the sharpest double-edged sword of the 90s!
Whoever gets stabbed is doomed!
However, Lin Tian was unmoved by a three-pointer. He quickly dribbled to the frontcourt and immediately found Schmitz to set a screen for him. He wanted to face Ewing head-on and see what kind of state Ewing was in tonight!
After setting the screen, Lin Tian faced Ewing, lowered his head, accelerated, and charged towards the inside!
Ewing was very cautious this time, not letting Lin Tian shake him off, nor giving Lin Tian a chance to draw a foul. The two arrived at the basket almost at the same time and jumped almost at the same time!
Ewing caught up with Lin Tian!
After jumping, Lin Tian faced Ewing's outstretched hands and the intense physical contact, almost losing his balance. However, he still managed to firmly grasp the basketball with both hands, leaning his upper body back as much as possible to avoid Ewing's block. At the same time, he aimed the basketball at the rim, waiting for Ewing to land first.
Perhaps only a second has passed, or perhaps an entire century has gone by.
Ewing was taller and bigger, so he got further and further away from Lin Tian and landed first!
Lin Tian, however, used the last of his strength in his waist and abdomen to forcefully pull the ball away the moment Ewing landed.
"Bang!"
Unfortunately, the ball lingered in the air for too long, and the contact was too intense. Even though Lin Tiankong's posture was almost perfect, he still couldn't hit it.
But Lin Tian had clearly anticipated that the shot wouldn't go in. He even predicted where the basketball would land. After landing, he immediately turned around to get in front of Ewing, then took a step to the other side of the basket and suddenly jumped.
Then Lin Tian gently pushed the falling basketball towards the basket behind him with one hand above his head.
"Whoosh!"
The basketball immediately changed direction, swerved, and went into the basket!
Although he was under some pressure from Ewing, Lin Tian still managed to grab his own rebound and score 2 points!
But he also figured out that Ewing was in superb form tonight!
Today, Ewing's physical contact and defensive approach towards Lin Tian were much more aggressive than in the previous two games. What Lin Tian should pay more attention to is Ewing's right hand!
Whether it was blocking or contesting, he didn't hide his right hand anymore!
This guy, at least psychologically, is completely fine now!
"Rick, be careful when you're matched up against Patrick later, he's going to be tough tonight! Same rules as always, let him shoot but not drive!" After landing, Lin Tian didn't celebrate, but immediately went to Schmitz to explain the key points of the next defensive play.
Schmitz nodded, remaining silent with a serious expression. He could certainly tell that Ewing was different tonight.
He was completely uncertain at that moment!
"Lin told you to let me shoot?" Ewing received the ball in the low post, but instead of immediately launching an attack, he looked at Schmitz and said, "Don't you think he's sabotaging you? He wants me to score 50 points on you!"
(End of this chapter)